Counting, ISP, Illness Update and Home

Counting

Math isn’t my strong point, never has been, probably never will be. But life abroad is a lot about the little calculations; my simple math skills have increased tremendously while here. Firstly, figuring out how prices. In Uganda, to figure out how much a given meal or item costs you have to consider the exchange rate. One US Dollar equals around two thousand six hundred Ugandan Shillings. To get an extraordinarily rough estimate of cost we simply divide whatever the price is in shillings by two, then drop three zeros. In Rwanda, one dollar equaled 600 Rwandan Francs, so double every price and drop three zeros.

Then comes time. I have been trying my hardest to keep in touch with my friends and family back home. The time difference obviously makes it difficult, especially when daylight savings time came into effect mid-semester. Right as I got used to figuring out the eight-hour time difference with Nashville and the seven-hour time difference with Bowdoin, it went and changed on me. Uganda doesn’t participate in that Daylight Savings Time nonsense. Now it’s nine and eight respectively, still trying to get used to that.

Lastly, Cards. Yeah, when power isn’t always a given and you only brought two books for a three month stretch, cards are a life saver. Spades and Hearts are the most played games among my group, each requiring their own little calculations in the score keeping. I went from having to write out the addition and subtraction to figuring out scores quickly in my head, helps on the long bus rides on pothole ridden roads.

ISP

I just finished my ISP. Procrastination failed to get the best of me. I wrote the longest paper of my life, and the first real research involving interviews of my life as well. I’m happy. Now I have to figure out what to do over the next five days, I’ve got a lot of time to kill.

Mysterious Illness Update

The Peace Corps were evacuated yesterday. The CDC and the US Embassy have kept quiet on anything that might be happening, their responses to emails claim that nothing is really amiss and that we shouldn’t be worried. But the fact that the Peace Corps bolted to Kampala certainly isn’t reassuring. Robbie talked to one of them who had 10 months left in country who said he thinks they might just send them home.

Another group of Muzungus got so spooked that they didn’t just leave the North they left the country entirely. They are currently biding their time in Nairobi, Kenya. Apparently they heard from a nurse who was here in 2000 (when there was a big outbreak of Ebola), that she saw one of the new cases and it was definitely Ebola. This is unconfirmed, but unsettling nonetheless.

We have already checked the prices of private hire cars and private jets (fifty bucks a head to Kampala, not bad) to Kampala just incase this blows up, but all signs are pointing to it not being a big deal. Although there is some concern that the government in Kampala will try to cover up whatever happens because of the upcoming election in February of next year. Hmm….

Home

Two weeks until I am no longer in Africa. It’s currently my warmest December on record, hasn’t been cooler than 75 degrees any day yet. This is while I am hearing about negative fifteen degree centigrade weather in Vienna and massive snowfall in the UK. This news comes as a shock to me because I am spending ten days in London after I leave here to spend time with my family and friends. I have a legitimate fear of freezing to death once I step off that plane; my warmest clothes are khaki pants.

I am really excited to get to London though. I’ll meet my mother at the airport and spend the day with her and then Robbie and I are going to see a show in London before he flies out the following day. Over the course of ten days I hope to: See Dave (my good friend and freshman year roommate), Tobi (another Bowdoin friend), Catherine (a friend from Nashville), and the Speers (Friends from London). It is certainly shaping up to be a hectic few days. I’m sure I will experience debilitating culture shock, but I cannot wait to get my hands on some greasy western food.

-Muzungu in Gulu reveling in the fact his paper is done and eagerly awaiting a reunion with family and friends.